Sen. Mark Begich, a Democrat, came out in support of the proposal endorsed by President Barack Obama: forcing BP to establish an escrow fund totaling billions to pay businesses and individuals for their losses stemming from the spill if the company doesn't do so voluntarily.
Begich and other Democratic senators proposed a $20 billion fund. Begich went a step beyond their proposal, though, saying the arrangement shouldn't just be for this oil spill and should be passed as a law. People need assurance that if this happens again, they'll be compensated, too, Begich said. Begich also backed fellow Democrats who are calling for BP to pay money into the escrow fund before they pay a dividend to shareholders.
"My bottom line is this: the Americans damaged by this oil spill must be fairly compensated in a timely way," Begich said. "That didn't happen to Alaskans with the Exxon Valdez. It must happen with our fellow citizens in the Gulf of Mexico."
Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, introduced her own legislation Tuesday, which has as its centerpiece rules that allow the administration to set liability on offshore oil and gas projects on a case-by-case basis. The liability limit would depend on the company's safety record and the depth and pressure of the reserve being developed, among other factors. Responsibility for claims in excess of an individual cap would be shared by all offshore operators in U.S. waters.
She also wants to establish an administrative process -- with an administrator named by the president and confirmed by the Senate -- to approve compensation claims quickly, without litigation.
"Nobody, nobody should have to go through what the people of Alaska went through when it comes to resolution of their claims," Murkowski said
She said she had just come back from Cordova -- a hard-hit community during the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill -- and wanted to include the advice of some of the people there.
Her legislation also includes a provision that would let states receive a share of royalties from offshore wells in federal waters off their coasts.
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